The relationship between perceived training and development and employee retention: The mediating role of work attitudes and the moderating role of organizational support

Purpose –This paper aims to explore the role of training and development programs in increasing employee competencies and the influence of such programs on employee retention. Additionally, we explore the moderating role of organizational support in the relationship between perceived training and development and intentions to stay with/leave organizations. Design/methodology/approach –The sample size for this study was 204 questionnaires from the different textile industries in Pakistan and use convenience sampling technique to collect data from respondents. Therefore, the population of this research is all the managers of the textile sector in Faisalabad. We use a correlation matrix and regression analysis to analyze the relationships between variables. We also explore work attitudes as a mediator in the relationship between perceived training and development and intention to stay. Findings – The results of this study reveal that training and development activities increase the employees’ intentions to leave if the organization has a weak employee retention system. Furthermore, employees who experience higher levels of organizational support may stay with the organizations longer. These findings show the usefulness of explaining the link between training and development and employee retention. Moreover, the findings collectively suggest that studies examining employee retention should include a wider range of work attitudes that highlight pleasant forms of affect. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to investigate the effect of perceived training and development on intention to stay by using the moderating role of organizational support.